Center City Connector

Status Updates

September 9, 2019

Over the past year, Seattle Streetcar ridership has increased by 18 percent and SDOT has worked to place the Center City Connector Streetcar Project on more secure financial footing. In August, Seattle City Council appropriated $9 million so that we could move forward with essential design work to advance the Center City Connector project. With this critical funding, SDOT is excited to be moving this transit project forward so that millions of people will have the opportunity to use a complete streetcar system providing easy connections between South Lake Union, the waterfront, Pioneer Square, Chinatown-International District, and First Hill.

Check out our blog for the latest details on key next steps moving forward with the streetcar project.

July 26, 2019

Seattle Streetcar ridership is up 18-percent!
Tuesday, July 30, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will deliver the news to the Seattle City Council Sustainability and Transportation Committee as part of its regular streetcar operations update on the existing streetcar lines. The team will also request a $9-million appropriation to move forward with essential work to advance the Center City Connector project.
Check out the SDOT Blog to learn more.

January 17, 2019

Mayor Durkan’s office released the following new statement: Mayor Durkan to Work with the City Council, Community Members, Businesses and Transit Partners to Move Forward on this Mobility Project to Connect New Waterfront with City. Read the complete statement here.

December 5, 2018

The status of the project is still being considered. Any announcement about project status will come from Mayor Durkan’s office. Once an announcement is made, we’ll update the project website and send an email update. To sign up for our email updates, click here.

August 31, 2018

Following Mayor Jenny A. Durkan’s order of an independent review of the Seattle Streetcar, the City of Seattle released an initial summary of findings for full transparency and accountability of anticipated capital costs as well as historical, current and future operating costs. Read the complete press release here.

July 24, 2018

The City provides an update on the progress of the independent review of the Center City Connector. Read the complete press release here.

June 29, 2018

The Mayor wants a thorough and thoughtful analysis that addresses a range of questions related to the costs of this project. KPMG, which was retained to do the independent review of the Center City Connector Streetcar, has not completed the final report but verbally briefed Mayor Durkan on initial findings on June 19. As part of the briefing, the Mayor asked for a further analysis on technical assumptions, ridership projections, operations and capital costs, and funding options, as well as more detailed information regarding additional alternatives for providing transit connections moving forward.

In addition, she asked for a final technical review by City departments including the City Budget Office, SDOT, Seattle Public Utilities, and Seattle City Light to verify updated ridership projections, material costs and labor, utility relocations and project timelines for a series of options to ensure the final report is accurate for taxpayers. With this additional analysis, KPMG will deliver a final report to the Mayor and Council. It is expected that the work can be completed in the coming weeks that will outline operating and capital costs as well as funding risks for both the utility and streetcar work.

March 30, 2018

On March 30, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan directed the City of Seattle to halt the ongoing projects related to the Center City Connector Streetcar, except for work on seismically vulnerable water mains, pending an independent review. Read the complete press release here.

Center City Connector: Alignment & Station Locations

Frequently Asked Questions

Center City Connector

The City of Seattle is building a modern streetcar system that will provide new mobility options, support economic growth, and strengthen connections in Seattle’s densest neighborhoods. The Center City Connector will join the existing South Lake Union and the First Hill Streetcar lines, creating new north-south connections from Stewart St in Westlake to Jackson St in Pioneer Square. When complete, 5 miles and 23 stations of convenient streetcar service will be available to access hundreds of key destinations, including Pike Place Market, Colman Dock, and Link light rail.

One Center City is a partnership between the City of Seattle, King County, Sound Transit, and the Downtown Seattle Association to create both a short-term and long-term plan for how we move through, connect to, and experience Seattle’s Center City neighborhoods. All scenarios analyzed in One Center City, including the Baseline (or No Action) Scenario, include the Center City Connector streetcar on 1st Ave. The traffic and transit analysis for each scenario accounts for the projected shift in traffic from 1st Ave to other streets.

Parking and Loading

To allow space for dedicated streetcar lanes – while also balancing other modes like walking, biking, deliveries, and through-traffic – most on-street parking along the route will be removed. We are committed to helping people park and load efficiently by subsidizing off-street parking and working closely with businesses and residences on load zone replacement. Of the approximately 4,400 off-street parking stalls in lots and garages along the alignment, an average of over 1,100 stalls are available at a given time throughout the day. This project includes funding for DowntownSeattleParking.com, which makes it easy to find parking availability, rates (some as low as $3/hour) so downtown visitors can park in a garage and get to their destination easily on the streetcar.

To allow space for dedicated streetcar lanes – while also balancing other modes like walking, biking, deliveries, and through-traffic – most on-street parking and loading along the route will be removed. We are working with neighboring businesses and residential buildings on a 1 for 1 replacement of load zones within 1 block of the existing location. Load zone additions will be implemented before construction begins so the load zones are operable during construction and after the streetcar opens.

Operations and Maintenance Facilities

The streetcar operations and maintenance facilities provide a dedicated space for activities like cleaning and general upkeep of the streetcars, including regular mechanical maintenance and unplanned repairs. They provide storage space for streetcars that are not in use and provide space for lockers and dispatch services for streetcar drivers and maintenance staff. Noise-generating activities, like the use of power tools and compressors, occur inside the maintenance building. To also accommodate the increased streetcar operations, the South Lake Union Facility will be expanded to accommodate 10 vehicles. We will also construct a new turn-around track on Republican St between Westlake Avenue N and Terry Avenue N.